February 10, 2020
I purchased a large collection of different sea shells. I will list each one here.......and count them as I go
2-20-2020 Regular Cone (Conus regularis) 26 shells

SINÓNIMOS:: gusano cortador, gusano trozador
MORFOLOGÍA: Larvas; de color gris opaco; llegan a medir hasta 5cm; con 5 pares de falsas patas; se diferencia de otros gusanos grises en que posee una mancha característica color crema al final de su abdomen; son nocturnas y en el día permanecen enrolladas bajo el suelo; al pie de las plantas (San Blas )
Adultos; polillas entre 45-55mm; alas anteriores marrones con tres manchas triangulares y las posteriores blancas; hembras vuelan en la noche; ovipositando sobre las hojas; tallo o suelo; de plantas recién germinadas Sus ojos están desnudos y sin pestañas. La trompa está bien desarrollada. Palpi oblicuamente recto (que se extiende hacia adelante), donde la segunda articulación está escalada uniformemente y la tercera articulación es prominente. Tórax y abdomen sin mechones. Abdomen algo aplanado. Tibia muy fuertemente espinosa. Alas anteriores con margen externo no crenulado. Alas posteriores con venas 3 y 4 de la célula (Hampson, 1894).
HABITAT: en terrones y en el suelo mismo
DAÑO: Cortan y matan las plántulas recien emergidas, lo hacen en la zona del cuello del tallo.
CICLO DE VIDA: Se desarrollan en promedio en 50 días (depende de la tº ); con un promedio de 30 días solo para el estado de larva; en invierno están enterradas en el suelo dentro de un capullo de tierra; en verano reinician su actividad; alimentándose por la noche; durante el día suelen estar enterradas en el suelo a unos 2 cm de la superficie; cuando la oruga completa todos sus estadios, se entierra a 20 cm y pupa; los adultos aparecen en verano y una vez se han reproducido; la hembra deposita los huevos sobre el envés de las hojas del cultivo; en arvenses o directamente en el suelo.
ENEMIGOS NATURALES: Larvas son parasitadas por dípteros; en especial de la familia Tachinidae géneros xanthophyto; nemoraea y exoristoides
CONTROLES ALTERNATIVOS: En producciones ecológicas suelen aplicar aceite de neem y hongo Beauveria bassiana

This Tiger Salamander is living underneath a watering tray I keep out for wildlife and birds. It has been underneath this for the last two months. The ground is damp always and there are quite a bit of Pill bugs there as well. I see it every day because I clean out the watering tray and fill in with fresh water. I have picked it up and it is very gentle and not scared.
9/3/19
The salamander is still in the same spot and still fat and healthy. I wonder how long it will stay and if it will survive the upcoming weather.
2/20/2020
Just before the end of November, 2019, the salamander disappeared. I am thinking it was probably wise enough to bury itself somewhere before the frigid winter set in.

We made it to 1000 species. Thanks everyone!!

We welcome the Westcott neighborhood area and surrounding communities to begin submitting to our iNaturalist citizen science challenge! Our project is up and running, and we are accepting uploads of species in the Westcott area up until April 26th! Prizes from the SUNY ESF Bookstore will be provided to 1st and 2nd place among the participants. 1st place- whoever submits the highest number of different species; 2nd- whoever submits the most observations.

Start taking photos of the plants and animals you see around the Westcott community and upload them to the app!

The data the community provides will help our group-- nine graduating seniors in Conservation Biology at ESF-- understand the local biodiversity and how to improve it through various conservation efforts. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming events of ours in the community and on the ESF campus.

I just thought I'd share my collection technique at this moment. I carry a paper cup with me and a toothpick. It's easy to lift a bug out of the Tanglefoot and wipe it inside the cup. When I get home I take scissors and cut the cup into pieces that have bugs, then photograph. I do most of my photographing with a camera mounted to a microscope, not sure how well a camera with macro lens might work, given the Tanglefoot smear. This link: http://idtools.org/id/leps/tortai/Removal_from_sticky_1993.pdf suggests using citrus oil to remove the sticky goo. I haven't tried this yet, since I'm not exactly sure what to buy. So far, with the help of iNat specialists on various insect groups, like bark beetles and stink bugs, I've been able to ID several to species despite the Tanglefoot. -Ken

In my observations of the cottontail, I have noticed a few things about their typical environment. Around campus, they can often be found in the grassy areas on campus, on French Hill, and in the bushes. They also come out in large numbers at night. In places where shelter (bushes, shrubs, artificial structures) is present, they are often harder to see because they like to be covered. In looking at maps of observations of the cottontails, there is a higher frequency of observations in places that are at lower elevations and have a higher human population. It is unclear whether this is because more humans=more observations or because the rabbits have more of a realized niche in areas where humans are present (more water, more grass, more shelter...). The fundamental nice is most definitely a larger area that encompasses a large part of the American southwest, including temperate weather, low elevation, and some source of food and moisture.

First off, I would like to thank all of those who have joined this project and I really appreciate the time you've taken to join the project and save me some time to add your observations. I would've never expected my project to be this big a week after its creation. So once again, I thank you for your time.

Unfortunately, after a week, I've already encounter some problems with the project and I want to address the issue before it becomes such a big problem, I can't fix it. I had to remove a bunch of observations this morning because they fell short of project requirements. The first example being, I received a bunch of reptile eggs like turtles and snakes. And if you go to the About section of Active Nests, the first statement I made in regards to the project is, "This project is to compile all "active" nest observations of birds across the world."

So the clarification here is, this project is only for bird nests or eggs and nothing else. All nests or eggs that are not birds, such as reptiles, amphibians or insects, will be removed from the project.

Second problem I've encounter is well... there's no nice way to say it. I've also been seeing eggshells or nest-less eggs being added to the project. So here's the clarification. This is a project for active nests, not evidence of nesting. Adding these observations muck up data because we're trying to understand when birds breed. So if you add an eggshell or even an old nest in October when the species May-August breeder, that messes with the data. So once again, I plead with the fact this is only for active nests. If you have eggshells, old nests or anything else, there are plenty of other nest projects to submit them to. All sightings of inactive nests, eggshells or nest-less (unless its a species that normally does not build a nest like shorebirds) eggs will be removed from the project.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/eggs-nests-n-america
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/eggs-and-nests
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bird-nests-of-north-america

Third and last problem I've encountered. Inviable eggs does not count as an "active" nest. So if you make an observation of an inviable (dead or unhatched) egg, such as Tree Swallow, in a Minnesota December, it does not meet project requirements because it's not active. That's because Tree Swallows appear to be a very strict May-July breeder and eggs hatch in about 14-17 days. They'll migrate out of Minnesota in September, so if that egg in December was going to hatch, it would've hatched long before then. Any observations that show probable inviable eggs will be removed from the project.

That's all the problems I've encountered and all of these observations that fail to meet project requirements will affect the data I'm trying to collect. Your diligence in following these requests are greatly appreciated. For those who haven't joined the project yet will now have additional "Terms and Rules" to agree to when they join. Before now, I only had the rule that you agree to follow the Code of Conduct in watching bird nests. The terms are now as followed:

"By joining this project, you agree to follow the protocols presented in the "Code of Conduct" presented by Cornell's NestWatch project, to maximize the chances of a successful nesting attempt. To read the Code of Conduct:

https://nestwatch.org/learn/how-to-nestwatch/code-of-conduct/

All observations added must be Aves (Birds) and be an active nest. Meaning parents building/fixing nest, eggs or young in nest. Inviable (dead) eggs or deceased young do not meet project requirements."

Once again, I thank you for joining the project and I hope my attitude in this post hasn't deterred you from your contributions to the project. I just want to make sure the project continues down the course it was meant to follow, otherwise it would be no different than the projects I've listed above. Thank you for understanding.

SINÓNIMOS:: gusano de la semilla de maíz, mosca de la cebolla, mosca de los sembrados y mosca de la col
MORFOLOGÍA: Sus larvas miden menos de 3 mm de longitud, tienen un cuerpo algo aplanado, presentan finos pelos o setas dorsalmente son muy pigmentadas y esclerotizadas y generalmente viven en material vegetal en descomposición, madera podrida y debajo de la corteza, se cree que algunos son depredadores y/o carroñeros Los adultos tienen antenas filiformes con 10 u 11 segmentos, su fórmula tarsal es 5-5-5, presentan un cuerpo blando y pubescente frecuentemente con setas rígidas y largas, además son fáciles de reconocer porque suelen tener colores llamativos en sus élitros negros y tienen tamaños que van desde 1 a 12mm
HABITAT: Se encuentran en flores de varios cultivos como: alfalfa, quinua, chocho, haba, frutales, también en flores de arvenses como nabo silvestre, diente de león, etcDAÑO: Se comen las semillas recién sembradas, a menudo dejando cáscaras de semillas vacías y evitando la germinación. Ocasionalmente, los gusanos de la semilla de maíz hacen un túnel dentro de los tallos de las plántulas y las semillas en germinación (Funderburk et al., 1984). con un ataque severo hay pérdidas del 30% al 60% en el campo.

DAÑO QUE CAUSA: Dañan las flores del chocho, las marchitan y luego están mueren

Дорогие друзья, коллеги, соратники, ценители и исследователи природы России! Сегодня знаменательный день - мы набрали 250 000 наблюдений! Четверть от миллиона. На очередные 5 000 наблюдений в этот раз потребовалось ровно 9 дней (в прошлый раз мы ждали этого 11 суток). За эти дни число наблюдателей флоры России увеличилось всего на 8 новичков, а вот число выявленных и подтверждённых видов увеличилось на 39 штук. Как и прежде, пополнение проекта "Флора России" новыми фотоданными шло благодаря нашей общей командной работе! Сразу 42 наблюдателя за последние 9 дней делали наблюдения в природе и успели загрузить их на iNaturalist. По-видимому, наступил момент, когда доля свежих полевых наблюдений постепенно начинает расти после зимней паузы, хотя, конечно, фотографии из архивов численно преобладают. Другая интереснейшая статистика. С 1.01.2020 по 20.02.2020 в поле сделано 3590 наблюдений. В эти же дни, но годом ранее (1.01.2019 по 20.02.2019) было опубликовано только 238 наблюдений. Неужели нас ждёт 15-кратный рост данных в 2020-м году?! У любых данных есть так называемая ошибка отбора данных. Где люди чаще всего фотографируют растения или животных? Очевидно, что в тех местах, которые наиболее доступны. Надеемся, что нашим участникам удастся в 2020 году побывать в интересных малодоступных местах или, например, в соседнем районе, откуда данных совсем нет. Давайте зафиксируем статистику для истории. Итак, 250 000 наблюдений наш проект достиг 20 февраля 2020 г. в 17:31 MSK. The project reached 250,000 observations in 20 Feb 2020 at 17:31 MSK. Статистика проекта / Project stats: 250,096 observations - 5,974 species - 2,057 identifiers - 3,953 observers Статистика антипроекта / Anti-project stats: 29,084 observations - 3,090 species - 668 Identifiers - 2,098 Observers С прошлого замера проект вырос на 4,6 тыс. наблюдений, антипроект подрос на 0,2 тыс. наблюдений. Из вновь загруженных за 9 дней наблюдений больше всего лайков получило наблюдение воронежского ботаника Дмитрия Владимирова (@dimavladimirov), сделанное в Семилукском районе к югу от Воронежа. Это эндемик Средне-Русской возвышенности проломник Козо-Полянского. Не стесняйтесь ставить лайки другим интересным наблюдениям и самым удачным фотографиям. Это развивает чувство взаимного интереса и товарищеской конкуренции.

1. Самые активные участники (число наблюдений) | Top-observers (number of observations)

Место | Rank	Пользователь | User	Наблюдений | Observations	Видов | Species
1	@apseregin	16852	1569
2	@snv2	10957	779
3	@velibortravoved	10147	670
4	@panasenkonn	9746	1006
5	@convallaria1128	4864	1339
6	@eduard_garin	4574	756
7	@melodi_96	4497	761
8	@vladimir_teplouhov	4332	422
9	@julia_shner	4006	581
10	@npz	3835	494
11	@pavel_golyakov	3711	781
12	@dryomys	3477	654
13	@olga2019kuryakova	3125	489
14	@phlomis_2019	3093	1084
15	@taimyr	2876	493
16	@sokolkov2002	2811	635
17	@vvolkotrub	2811	1259
18	@svetlanakutueva	2605	458
19	@dni_catipo	2557	510
20	@max_carabus	2548	433
21	@borisbolshakov	2445	509
22	@katerina_kashirina	2388	730
23	@olegdavydov	2230	341
24	@ramazan_murtazaliev	2199	1431
25	@prokhozhyj	2163	470
26	@alzov	2147	568
27	@vadim_prokhorov	2097	790
28	@mallaliev	2044	889
29	@evgenyboginsky	1893	355
30	@aleksandrebel	1887	706
31	@naturalist16000	1781	558
32	@divitre	1697	366
33	@alexeiebel	1681	526
34	@smsergey	1642	426
35	@beerolha	1602	483
36	@birdchuvashia	1584	543
37	@denis_tishin	1571	398
38	@sesquicentennial	1518	498
39	@ledum	1503	722
40	@lenatara	1490	726

2. Самые активные участники (число видов) | Top-observers (number of species)

Место | Rank	Пользователь | User	Наблюдений | Observations	Видов | Species
1	@apseregin	16852	1569
2	@ramazan_murtazaliev	2199	1431
3	@convallaria1128	4864	1339
4	@vvolkotrub	2811	1259
5	@phlomis_2019	3093	1084
6	@panasenkonn	9746	1006
7	@mallaliev	2044	889
8	@svdudov	1437	868
9	@vadim_prokhorov	2097	790
10	@pavel_golyakov	3711	781
11	@snv2	10957	779
12	@melodi_96	4497	761
13	@eduard_garin	4574	756
14	@katerina_kashirina	2388	730
15	@lenatara	1490	726
16	@ledum	1503	722
17	@aleksandrebel	1887	706
18	@ggularijants	1184	673
19	@velibortravoved	10147	670
20	@dryomys	3477	654
21	@sokolkov2002	2811	635
22	@julia_shner	4006	581
23	@alzov	2147	568
24	@naturalist16000	1781	558
25	@birdchuvashia	1584	543
26	@alexeiebel	1681	526
27	@kildor	1490	520
28	@dni_catipo	2557	510
29	@borisbolshakov	2445	509
30	@sesquicentennial	1518	498
31	@npz	3835	494
32	@taimyr	2876	493
33	@olga2019kuryakova	3125	489
34	@tomegatherion	1333	487
35	@beerolha	1602	483
36	@antennaria	961	474
37	@prokhozhyj	2163	470
38	@dakileno	1123	466
39	@dinanesterkova	971	465
40	@svetlanakutueva	2605	458

3. Статистика региональных проектов (наблюдения) | Regional projects' stats (observations)

Место | Rank	Проект | Project	Наблюдений | Observations
1	Флора Москвы | Flora of Moscow	25503
2	Флора Подмосковья | Moscow Oblast Flora	17536
3	Флора Приморского края | Primorsky Krai Flora	16411
4	Флора Брянской области | Bryansk Oblast Flora	13442
5	Флора Алтайского края | Altai Krai Flora	13092
6	Флора Чувашии | Chuvash Republic Flora	11680
7	Флора Нижегородской области | Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Flora	10527
8	Флора Ярославской области | Yaroslavl Oblast Flora	9309
9	Флора Омской области | Omsk Oblast Flora	8177
10	Флора Камчатки | Kamchatka Flora	7558
11	Флора Татарстана | Tatarstan Flora	6062
12	Флора Крыма | Flora of the Crimea	5420
13	Флора Новосибирской области | Novosibirsk Oblast Flora	5316
14	Флора Калининградской области | Kaliningrad Oblast Flora	4841
15	Флора Дагестана | Dagestan Flora	4410
16	Флора Курской области | Kursk Oblast Flora	4369
17	Флора Воронежской области | Voronezh Oblast Flora	4273
18	Флора Костромской области | Kostroma Oblast Flora	4210
19	Флора Владимирской области | Vladimir Oblast Flora	4000
20	Флора Краснодарского края | Krasnodar Krai Flora	3490
21	Флора Красноярского края | Krasnoyarsk Krai Flora	3406
22	Флора Севастополя | Sevastopol Flora	3306
23	Флора Башкирии | Bashkortostan Flora	3094
24	Флора Иркутской области | Irkutsk Oblast Flora	3013
25	Флора Самарской области | Samara Oblast Flora	2988
26	Флора Калужской области | Kaluga Oblast Flora	2908
27	Флора Санкт-Петербурга | St Petersburg Flora	2653
28	Флора Тверской области | Tver Oblast Flora	2634
29	Флора Свердловской области | Sverdlovsk Oblast Flora	2340
30	Флора Ростовской области | Rostov Oblast Flora	2237
31	Флора Тульской области | Tula Oblast Flora	2220
32	Флора Томской области | Tomsk Oblast Flora	2041
33	Флора Белгородской области | Belgorod Oblast Flora	1910
34	Флора Республики Алтай | Altai Republic Flora	1908
35	Флора Ленинградской области | Leningrad Oblast Flora	1893
36	Флора Волгоградской области | Volgograd Oblast Flora	1888
37	Флора Карачаево-Черкесии | Flora of Karachay-Cherkessia	1828
38	Флора Кемеровской области | Kemerovo Oblast Flora	1493
39	Флора Кировской области | Kirov Oblast Flora	1443
40	Флора Мурманской области | Murmansk Oblast Flora	1431
41	Флора Саратовской области | Saratov Oblast Flora	1338
42	Флора Амурской области | Amur Oblast Flora	1233
43	Флора Липецкой области | Lipetsk Oblast Flora	1231
44	Флора Тюменской области | Tyumen Oblast Flora	1208
45	Флора Сахалинской области | Sakhalin Oblast Flora	1077
46	Флора Ульяновской области | Ulyanovsk Oblast Flora	1068
47	Флора Югры | Flora of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug	1068
48	Флора Челябинской области | Chelyabinsk Oblast Flora	993
49	Флора Ямало-Ненецкого АО | Flora of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug	979
50	Флора Архангельской области | Arkhangelsk Oblast Flora	932
51	Флора Карелии | Flora of Karelia	928
52	Флора Удмуртии | Udmurt Republic Flora	874
53	Флора Рязанской области | Ryazan Oblast Flora	704
54	Флора Бурятии | Buryat Republic Flora	699
55	Флора Мордовии | Flora of Mordovia	697
56	Флора Хакасии | Flora of Khakassia	690
57	Флора Новгородской области | Novgorod Oblast Flora	673
58	Флора Пермского края | Perm Krai Flora	642
59	Флора Псковской области | Pskov Oblast Flora	637
60	Флора Чукотки | Flora of Chukotka	613
61	Флора Тамбовской области | Tambov Oblast Flora	586
62	Флора Адыгеи | Flora of Adygea	554
63	Флора Ставрополья | Stavropol Krai Flora	502
64	Флора Пензенской области | Penza Oblast Flora	454
65	Флора Вологодской области | Vologda Oblast Flora	447
66	Флора Курганской области | Kurgan Oblast Flora	353
67	Флора Кабардино-Балкарии | Flora of Kabardino-Balkaria	327
68	Флора Ивановской области | Ivanovo Oblast Flora	321
69	Флора Забайкальского края | Zabaykalsky Krai Flora	305
70	Флора Смоленской области | Smolensk Oblast Flora	283
71	Флора Якутии | Flora of Yakutia	255
72	Флора Коми | Komi Republic Flora	246
73	Флора Оренбургской области | Orenburg Oblast Flora	238
74	Флора Марий Эл | Mari El Flora	144
75	Флора Астраханской области | Astrakhan Oblast Flora	127
76	Флора Чечни | Chechen Republic Flora	88
77	Флора Магаданской области | Magadan Oblast Flora	84
78	Флора Орловской области | Oryol Oblast Flora	66
79	Флора Хабаровского края | Khabarovsk Krai Flora	58
80	Флора Ненецкого АО | Flora of Nenets Autonomous Okrug	56
81	Флора Северной Осетии | Flora of North Ossetia	54
82	Флора Тувы | Tyva Republic Flora	54
83	Флора Ингушетии | Flora of Ingushetia	27
84	Флора Калмыкии | Flora of Kalmykia	24
85	Флора Еврейской АО | Flora of Jewish Autonomous Oblast	1

4. Статистика региональных проектов (виды) | Regional projects' stats (species)

Место | Rank	Проект | Project	Видов | Species
1	Флора Дагестана | Dagestan Flora	1576
2	Флора Приморского края | Primorsky Krai Flora	1395
3	Флора Крыма | Flora of the Crimea	1141
4	Флора Алтайского края | Altai Krai Flora	1057
5	Флора Брянской области | Bryansk Oblast Flora	1049
6	Флора Подмосковья | Moscow Oblast Flora	1004
7	Флора Москвы | Flora of Moscow	995
8	Флора Краснодарского края | Krasnodar Krai Flora	968
9	Флора Нижегородской области | Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Flora	906
10	Флора Татарстана | Tatarstan Flora	906
11	Флора Воронежской области | Voronezh Oblast Flora	903
12	Флора Курской области | Kursk Oblast Flora	817
13	Флора Камчатки | Kamchatka Flora	799
14	Флора Ярославской области | Yaroslavl Oblast Flora	781
15	Флора Владимирской области | Vladimir Oblast Flora	758
16	Флора Чувашии | Chuvash Republic Flora	744
17	Флора Красноярского края | Krasnoyarsk Krai Flora	711
18	Флора Ростовской области | Rostov Oblast Flora	705
19	Флора Новосибирской области | Novosibirsk Oblast Flora	704
20	Флора Костромской области | Kostroma Oblast Flora	703
21	Флора Севастополя | Sevastopol Flora	677
22	Флора Иркутской области | Irkutsk Oblast Flora	674
23	Флора Свердловской области | Sverdlovsk Oblast Flora	655
24	Флора Омской области | Omsk Oblast Flora	650
25	Флора Карачаево-Черкесии | Flora of Karachay-Cherkessia	647
26	Флора Волгоградской области | Volgograd Oblast Flora	603
27	Флора Калининградской области | Kaliningrad Oblast Flora	603
28	Флора Башкирии | Bashkortostan Flora	601
29	Флора Тверской области | Tver Oblast Flora	596
30	Флора Белгородской области | Belgorod Oblast Flora	567
31	Флора Республики Алтай | Altai Republic Flora	565
32	Флора Кемеровской области | Kemerovo Oblast Flora	557
33	Флора Калужской области | Kaluga Oblast Flora	554
34	Флора Тульской области | Tula Oblast Flora	550
35	Флора Томской области | Tomsk Oblast Flora	541
36	Флора Ленинградской области | Leningrad Oblast Flora	504
37	Флора Сахалинской области | Sakhalin Oblast Flora	495
38	Флора Самарской области | Samara Oblast Flora	485
39	Флора Санкт-Петербурга | St Petersburg Flora	474
40	Флора Амурской области | Amur Oblast Flora	453
41	Флора Кировской области | Kirov Oblast Flora	441
42	Флора Бурятии | Buryat Republic Flora	418
43	Флора Липецкой области | Lipetsk Oblast Flora	411
44	Флора Тюменской области | Tyumen Oblast Flora	398
45	Флора Югры | Flora of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug	387
46	Флора Саратовской области | Saratov Oblast Flora	375
47	Флора Удмуртии | Udmurt Republic Flora	366
48	Флора Ульяновской области | Ulyanovsk Oblast Flora	363
49	Флора Челябинской области | Chelyabinsk Oblast Flora	344
50	Флора Мордовии | Flora of Mordovia	336
51	Флора Адыгеи | Flora of Adygea	330
52	Флора Псковской области | Pskov Oblast Flora	326
53	Флора Новгородской области | Novgorod Oblast Flora	314
54	Флора Мурманской области | Murmansk Oblast Flora	311
55	Флора Пермского края | Perm Krai Flora	303
56	Флора Хакасии | Flora of Khakassia	298
57	Флора Архангельской области | Arkhangelsk Oblast Flora	295
58	Флора Рязанской области | Ryazan Oblast Flora	295
59	Флора Карелии | Flora of Karelia	294
60	Флора Ставрополья | Stavropol Krai Flora	288
61	Флора Тамбовской области | Tambov Oblast Flora	260
62	Флора Ямало-Ненецкого АО | Flora of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug	254
63	Флора Пензенской области | Penza Oblast Flora	243
64	Флора Вологодской области | Vologda Oblast Flora	238
65	Флора Забайкальского края | Zabaykalsky Krai Flora	231
66	Флора Ивановской области | Ivanovo Oblast Flora	215
67	Флора Чукотки | Flora of Chukotka	213
68	Флора Курганской области | Kurgan Oblast Flora	202
69	Флора Кабардино-Балкарии | Flora of Kabardino-Balkaria	201
70	Флора Смоленской области | Smolensk Oblast Flora	194
71	Флора Якутии | Flora of Yakutia	189
72	Флора Оренбургской области | Orenburg Oblast Flora	157
73	Флора Коми | Komi Republic Flora	115
74	Флора Марий Эл | Mari El Flora	112
75	Флора Астраханской области | Astrakhan Oblast Flora	90
76	Флора Чечни | Chechen Republic Flora	76
77	Флора Магаданской области | Magadan Oblast Flora	56
78	Флора Орловской области | Oryol Oblast Flora	56
79	Флора Хабаровского края | Khabarovsk Krai Flora	53
80	Флора Северной Осетии | Flora of North Ossetia	52
81	Флора Тувы | Tyva Republic Flora	46
82	Флора Ненецкого АО | Flora of Nenets Autonomous Okrug	38
83	Флора Ингушетии | Flora of Ingushetia	26
84	Флора Калмыкии | Flora of Kalmykia	16
85	Флора Еврейской АО | Flora of Jewish Autonomous Oblast	1

5. Топ-наблюдатели за 9 дней (наблюдения в поле) | 9-days top-observers (field observations)

Место | Rank	Пользователь | User	Наблюдений | Observations	Видов | Species
1	@vladimir_teplouhov	184	45
2	@denis_tishin	53	14
3	@convallaria1128	33	33
4	@apseregin	30	30
5	@melodi_96	29	25
6	@prokhozhyj	26	22
7	@alzov	25	13
8	@ikskyrskobl	20	10
9	@olegdavydov	19	10
10	@lenatara	15	13
11	@npz	13	11
12	@sesquicentennial	13	12
13	@a-lapin	11	7
14	@naturalist16000	11	10
15	@katerina_kashirina	8	8
16	@divitre	6	6
17	@polinalikhacheva	6	4
18	@kildor	5	4
19	@daba	3	3
20	@ramazan_murtazaliev	2	2

6. Топ-поставщики наблюдений за 9 дней (поле + архив) | 9-days top-uploaders (field & archives)

Место | Rank	Пользователь | User	Наблюдений | Observations	Видов | Species
1	@dni_catipo	1423	414
2	@taimyr	404	59
3	@dimavladimirov	365	215
4	@hapugin88	314	185
5	@vladimir_teplouhov	184	45
6	@ledum	174	132
7	@birdchuvashia	154	101
8	@igor_kuzmin	114	53
9	@zibzap	76	66
10	@mihail13	73	60
11	@aleksandrebel	59	54
12	@tatyanazarubo	54	42
13	@denis_tishin	52	14
14	@daba	38	36
15	@convallaria1128	34	34
16	@alzov	31	13
17	@apseregin	30	30
18	@melodi_96	30	25
19	@olegdavydov	30	14
20	@hln_m_t	29	27

7. Самые активные эксперты для наблюдений, загруженных за 9 дней (поле + архив) | Top-experts for the last 9 days uploads (field & archives)

Место | Rank	Пользователь | User	Определений | IDs
1	@madmanserg	2034
2	@phlomis_2019	1781
3	@convallaria1128	974
4	@julia_shner	889
5	@svg52	713
6	@sesquicentennial	526
7	@aleks-khimin	523
8	@mercantour	448
9	@eduard_garin	445
10	@borisbolshakov	313
11	@igor_kuzmin	257
12	@taimyr	160
13	@dinanesterkova	147
14	@svdudov	78
15	@aleksandrebel	61
16	@prokhozhyj	53
17	@radekwalkowiak	43
18	@kastani	39
19	@melodi_96	36
20	@nicolayfadeev	32

Hey all,

You may be wondering what exactly a bioblitz is now that we're getting closer to the event! To be precise, a bioblitz is a period of intense biological surveying that attempts to record all living species within a certain area. These blitzes often involve collaboration with as many people as possible, which means connecting with the public and inviting everyone! Everyone benefits from nature, and every contribution that a person makes to bioblitzes across the globe helps scientists understand the diversity and abundance of species we have on our beautiful blue and green planet.

This project is specifically targeting wild animals, so I challenge you all to visit one new natural area and find one species you've never identified before during the event! Will you rise to the occasion?

2/19/2020, 10:15am - 12:06pm
Coverage: Aldercroft Heights Road intersection to second stop sign.

87 (?TBD - see below) dead newts, 0 live newts
Other roadkill: 1 large millilpede

Weather: Sunny, clear, in the low 60sF, very dry for too long now!
Rainfall: MTD 0.02in, YTD 15.21in (per http://www.weathercat.net/wxraindetail.php?year=2020)

Vehicles: 20
Bikes: 3
Pedestrians: 1

I'm swamped with life right now, so just posting this so everyone knows that section got done, but it's possible that the final numbers and observations won't get posted for a week or two.

Like @merav, I'll only include ones that looked not super old, and like @sea-kangaroo I also started flinging the easily-detachable newt crackers off the road to make things less confusing next time.

Still, there were some in a middle state that may have been recorded already, so before I commit my observations, I'll compare them against the previous week or so and try not to post duplicates.

Also, I did see the request to remove my previous identified duplicates from the project, and will do so as soon as I have time. If it's somehow time-critical to remove them soon, let me know.

Hola a todos.

Estamos felices de ver que esta convocatoria de personas apasionadas por la biodiversidad ha tenido tanta acogida. Ya somos alrededor de 150 personas capacitadas. Ayer también terminamos la segunda presalida y estamos ajustando los detalles logísticos del BioBlitz.

Les estaremos avisando novedades y la zona donde cada uno hará el ejercicio en los próximos días.

В комментариях пишите ссылки на проекты, которые нужно добавить

Lista comentada de la
ictiofauna del Canal Beagle,
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Hugo L. López*, Mirta L. García* y Nemesio A. San Román**

Se puede descargar en PDF

http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/bitstream/handle/10915/50289/Documento_completo.pdf?sequence=1&fbclid=IwAR1byAp6TJnzqypXdqErMxUyHIau4Rp-ZaHWF_urBJ9dWftPqjuYjdd2NwA

I got an LG G5 H830 phone which is a good, inexpensive phone with a 16MP camera and removable battery. It seems to be doing a good job of taking close-up shots of flowers, better than the Galaxy Note 4 which died last month.

I recommend the LG G5 to anyone on a budget who is looking for a phone that takes good pictures.

I'm noticing the updated iNaturalist Android app doesn't open my default gallery - which is set to QuickPic - by default. I wish it did because it would make it easier to upload pics into observations. QuickPic is better than the default Android gallery app because it remembers your last position so when you re-open it to upload consecutive pics taken for an observation, you don't lose your place.

Looking forward to making more observations and here we are in Spring!

On February 17th, between the times of 1500-1630 hours I observed a few birds while sitting at Oakledge Park in South Burlington, Vermont. It was a sunny day with no clouds, around 24 degrees Fahrenheit. I walked into a small wooded corridor that boarders Lake Champlain. I believe there were mostly small hemlock or cedar trees with a few large Oak trees. It was not densely forested with multiple feet between each tree. It was very quiet on this day with only the sounds of the Lake and the few people roaming the area.
The fist pair of birds I observed were two Canadian Geese flying over the water and then off into the distance. They were rapidly flapping their wings with no observable rests between each stroke. Their wings were somewhat long and narrow but also had width. Since these birds migrate they need this shape of wing to enable them to fly long distances, with good speed, at a time.
The second bird I witnessed was an American Crow. I only caught a quick glimpse and was not able to make out wing shape or flight patterns. I confirmed it was this species based off of its distinct call, which was heard periodically throughout the 90 minutes.
Next I was able to hear the song of a Black-capped Chickadee. I didn't hear or see them right away, it wasn't until I had been sitting for a little while. Once I heard the song I was able to spot one of the three total I observed. After a few minutes of searching I was able to locate the other two. They were calling back and forth to one another (or at least it seemed as so). They were hopping around from branch to branch and mostly flew when moving to another tree. I was able to catch the flight of one bird as it soared over my head to another tree. It flapped its wings quickly and then tucked them in to dive downwards then flapped quickly again to gain height. I was not able to see their wing shape due to their small size, my lack of binoculars, and the speed at which they were flying. I would assume they would be short and wide wings since they mostly stay local to one area.
Lastly, towards the middle/end of my excursion I moved up a slight hill in hopes to see more birds on the other side. To my luck I happened to hear a woodpecker pecking at a tree. This was a Downy Woodpecker who seemed to be solo. I didn't witness much flight, apparently these birds can hop greater distances than I was expecting without opening their wings. From what I did see, it flapped its wings in up and down without much rotation. It had medium length wings with wide feathers. To stop abruptly it pushed its wings forward, spreading out all the feathers.
I did not see many birds on this excursion most likely due to the fact that it was a narrow corridor of trees, with water on one side and an open park on the other. It was rather cold this day so it could be possible some birds were less active to stay warm and save energy. To witness more birds next time I will choose and area that has a larger and more dense forest covering.

I biked through a little snow squall and arrived at Centennial Woods at 8 am. Once I got settled the snow had stopped and the weather was mostly overcast. I found a nice fallen branch to sit on so the sound of my boots crunching on the snow-covered trails didn't scare away the birds. I don't own binoculars and didn't loan any out before I began this adventure so I relied mostly on my ears to try and ID any birds that came close. At the beginning of my watch, I heard a few 'yanks' of what I can only assume were White-breasted Nuthatches. I tried to spot them in the trees but there was limited light in the tree canopy to distinguish the birds from the tree bark. I heard another call that stumped me. In my notes, I described the call as "squeaks with an 'I see you' whistle". When I got to my laptop I googled this to try and figure out what bird was but nothing right popped up. After listening while sitting on my branch for around 40 more minutes the sun came out! I hoped that I would be able to see a few more birds with the added light. I could hear the loud 'HA HA' call of an American Crow so I tried to look for their black feathers against the light brown tree bark but couldn't spot it. After an hour had passed I decided to walk along some of the trails because I didn't have much luck at my original spot.

Crossing two footbridges over a slightly frozen stream I noticed a small amount of movement at the base of a tree. I thought it was some low-hanging branches swaying in the light breeze at first. Then I noticed a bird beginning to climb up the base of the tree. I quickly pulled out the camera on my phone to take a video so that I would have more time to try and ID the bird if it flew away. The video wasn't the highest quality but based on the bird's tree-climbing behavior, the Audubon phone app, and the help of the amazing Professor Strong I ascertained the bird was a Brown Creeper. After learning how to ID the brown creeper in class I wanted to see one in the field because I think their tree-climbing behavior is interesting. Declaring my trek into Centennial Woods a success I walked the trails back to my bike, leaving around 9:30 am. It was nice to start my day with a peaceful morning out in the woods. Even though it was around 30 degrees Fahrenheit and I'm not a fan of being cold I'm looking forward to going bird watching again.

Hi everyone and especially to my fellow HongKongers!

We've had a tough six months and there may be tougher months ahead. But I urge you to come together for 4 days at the end of April to celebrate our unique habitats and biodiversity and showcase them to the World.

You have been tagged as you are one of the most prolific iNaturalist observers and identifiers in Hong Kong and I would love for you to get involved in the City Nature Challenge this year!

As you know the CITY NATURE CHALLENGE is a FANTASTIC worldwide project to increase engagement with nature. Once again, Hong Kong has entered this competition with over 260 cities worldwide and all participants have to do is take photographs of nature (trees, plants, insects, birds, fungi, fish, reptiles, rocky shore/mangrove sps etc) and upload them onto iNaturalist. That's it!!!

Competition Dates: Friday 24th April - Monday 27th April
Identification Dates: Tuesday 28th April - Sunday 3rd May

Examples of involvement could include:

1) Incorporate the CNC 2020 in any activity (research, data collection, nature walk, mini-bioblitz, shopping trip!, etc) already planned between April 24-27th. (Or organise an activity specifically for the CNC 2020 on these dates)

2) Join any CNC activity happening on these dates. I shall be constantly updating such activities on the FB event page and the Connect With Nature website. (Details below).

3) Encourage students, colleagues, clients and friends to participate in the CNC 2020 through official channels or personal networks.

4) Assistance in identifying species on the iNaturalist project in the week following the CNC 2020.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask here or through email: smartin@wwf.org.hk
I'll be giving more updates as and when they come in. :)

Cheers!
Shaun

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1304887099698611
Connect With Nature: https://connectwithnature.hk/activities/city-nature-challenge-2020
Main CNC page: www.citynaturechallenge.org

@alankwok @sk2 @sunnetchan @wkcheng71 @portioid. @biobank-lantauhk @chanddgreen @hkmoths @johnallcock @ritafoo @robotpie @wai2 @pkyeung @eekb @hoiling @andrewhardacre @hokoonwong @poonpoon @carol_kwok @wklegend @kitlaw @oryzias @pasteurng @nelsonwan @tommyswift @kwongchungman @dicksonwong @sparrow @jsclough @manojsamuelgrg @joecheung @southchinabirder @dickypa @cosmophasis @janho @vincents @blackdogto @jacky2 @tyh34 @matthewkwan @lwc @ericching @marcelfinlay @kwliu @even928 @raymkd @fishtse @aither @thui @papilionoidea @stephenmatthews @kamfunglai @wildcreatures @stanleychan @hollythefrog @kjsbio @yuchingtam @hugoto @hamishlow @shellfishgene @holis @yingcheongwong @garyckk @chungsiufung @jennahm @rogerlaw @sterling @pygo @love3 @wingsau @kaiw_ @etang @joysglobal @fionasykes @musicheer @ineni @bl9864 @chan_siu_yuen @kwan @nicolanewbery5 @karkin @hyfi @kimchi905 @dickson825 @kelvinklwu @bel_li @zoeyc2001 @thelma_woodward @walterma123 @wingsze @kokaho @lfseec @jimmy_lam @yuensl @chauyl @barkingdeer @hecate @glendaheng @cynthiayau @annamammalbee @ida11 @circlefong @jeem @michaelho @ryanyuewahchan @teohcheejin @charlielou @tiwane @maryon_giselle @daniel7787 @coe1 @kal @aeser_lolit @thomastam @hk_explorers_initiative @socrouse @davis_cheung @erickeung @heidi_wong @tom_chan @pyktsang @chia @boris8 @sswroom @abbie1116 @naishk @keeanajasmine @alphalai @chikwongcheung1 @cwhung @angelt1519 @marianne29 @rwalker7102 @chanchitatteachingstaff @wlam @alicia_ma @amarzee @jennifer785 @wwfeh2019group4 @pauldickson @oscarho @francoiswolfaardt @greece0604 @joycemak @chingheichau @treefong @aabbabc @erictsangkh @mimmyleung @gancw1 @caprithana @slauhk @tomchiukc @sffung @morimami @adriantsing @ginka222 @depamine @nieoleyu @pauline606 @chilokleiatong @oneeighty @kitesnest @angelmax @merrin @barthelemy @becky202 @mango201188 @cpchuck @kissamantha @qin_huang @sonelson2003 @tongsir @jjjohnston @sunkei @xylia623 @romanlo @hoichinghilarychan @professoreunice_tsk @mrgreenkis @samuelho @bibaker @hongkongbugsafari @tozi @s1b29 @wwfih01 @samlauyk @amy0910 @zoey10 @jmeyer61 @kogia @samuelc @vtcming @kfbg_jinlong @t_ekim @tamkysnail @iamgo @pingyick @ryannlau @juliasurman @suyukulu @vincent_509 @tarayizhulim @ttd_crazy @lkaf @pankaj-kumar @starfishchow @antomology @davidh121 @ivanparr @xoltc11 @angelalai @cnjlaw @elke13 @treeeeeees @vivien_lee @bonds @cpuiyu @leannkong @naeunkim @lausaiho @snoopyhk @opallau @wazy @cckcalvin @sallyferg @derekhon4 @ewawilko @christina2007 @antoniahk @chunhimmatthewku @clementsiu @szeszeliu @yeonwoojanellepark @laureny @coolvalguy @yuetfungling @arkeden @tonytang @yammeleung @choisum @minseokong @agnes_yu @natbomber @eric222 @olssonjefflock @i_love_geography @janice-lui @jcarloshk @jimsonhui @abychung @deeinhk @raphaelysan @jennifer_ho_816 @lingkristyyang @pokeryan @tk23 @user4321 @bestninja @imkamy @unouno @gljo @wwfourplanet-group1 @thomas517 @yukisin @hard_boiled_pug @holly_lee @pakchan @pyllo @pinkie @std18tkps @chrischiu @evelyn33 @guma @kevinho @perrynlau @wwfeh2019group3 @ansonyip @kimmyko @darrellsharp @naturalist25133 @vickycwk @top1984 @wudee_yulio @xingewen @yanny3 @jaydenleung @joycesiu @lainickk @twan3253 @yuenyutsoi @farcyan @rmullen @bradbury1 @ericchan @harryngcf @ngtszyan @prasanshrestha @yusumjasmineho @jimmyli @kinlokanguschan @lky_6 @universallie13 @happydayyyyy @hks147 @scottedmunds @easy_go @evelynchan1 @joannewong @kevinlaurie @tsk3d07 @crystalpenguin @minggggg @paulchan @bbbbb1666 @christopherfung @craigwilliams3998 @forleunglee @hoyat_hoi @pakhowong @thomasjn @yiubillysiu @jiukangyu @kxiong @lydiamuimui @samueltang @soniaaaaa @caron_wong @kayin2003 @mutolisp @pokmanbowenyang @raymondkhoo @thomas303 @wynsiting @ankith @mlyons @rachelau @stefanieleung @andrewyyyau @huichuntung @tangg @fayeching @tsk5b28 @vanyaaa @wilco @clai @derekleelkh @eunice0906 @joshethannick @leung5 @lordbuckethead @winggyyi @wkk @ysara @chokulit @ennodavies @kennethlam @doggieparadise @hku_bioblitz_a10 @matthew257 @meenakshi @yannatang @cecilyip @cherrycheung @ngkamwun5d17 @sharon1218 @yuet71 @chunhimcheng @clarekky @dunstanmarris @minsungandy @thihansaaa @tiffany985 @andyching @anjali_seitz @chanheiyan @edmundhong @longwaiambroseyau @lucapassalacqua @sauming @wcc @cellcell @garytse37 @laizigin @louisayip @naveenchan0814 @yingkilaw @ceriseanime @excellent @haileychan @jaeheelee @jasssssssssmine @karinaho @std20tkps @tsk2a03 @ally30 @astosak @cheukyingtiffanywan @kaysonlo @maggisuen54 @redmi52redmi51 @ganyu @max_fung @wwfeh2019group2 @candywong @carisachan @scarnose1316 @shinghei39 @aztekium_tutor @catrionam @kokoangelinaleong @mendel @michaellau @supply1 @adenpoon @chaeminpark @timothychan @whirl @yfmak @kahin @nicolekit @paksan @slftam @bfspoonbill @cyruskarlsonchan @kaylecatacutan @yukyin @hailey_fung @kellypoon @lamchiuleung @michellewong @rayhyun @theodora09 @bonnaie @ckhinnnnnn @jaimied @jinqiaosamsonyip @rarlamchan @saratomita @viohey @kwanwong @mirandakambuno @naturalist4826 @tinytinyworld @carolyn1123 @chiwing1 @chuahjichun @gomen @hidytsang @mooli500 @naturalistkingyi @sydney97 @adamismail @alanwclhk @carbomay @chanheitungteachingstaff @ksszeto @plantae @chungpuilam @ihgardening @ivanhsiu @johnpltsui @kuromi @leoniechong1 @priscillapetc @shaneychan @zodians @actualrealian @maomorningyip @miniii @yukkiqiu @alexander1334 @andycheng @diikchiya @kaitoandylau @lilokyee @xianjiwen @abichen @dannylcy @hku_bioblitz_a08 @hofung @jessicatin @jululieny @oxana293 @panlau @regina313 @tsuicheuklam @aimeewong @chunyan @coracheng @isaaccheungkis @kevinje @priscatsui @rossburrough @sinyuki @yogandhiran @hannahet @ivankok @joyceli @purple17tkps @jasonlau @kestrel @lhiggins @johnascher @juhakinnunen

Thomas Maron
Field Journal 1:

My first birding outing took place on Hurricane Mountain in Keene, NY in the Adirondack Park. The weather was 25 degrees and sunny with occasional gusts of wind up to 5 or 7 miles an hour. The overall outing was about four hours long with three dedicated half hour stops to observe the birds. The first of these was in a coniferous forest at lower elevation in close proximity to a small stream and several wetlands. The second stop was on the edge of a large wetland at slightly higher elevation with a more mixed canopy profile, the trees here were mainly younger saplings. The third stop was the highest in elevation and was in a mixed deciduous and coniferous forest with both older and younger trees. This third stop displayed the greatest diversity of species, as the two first observations yielded only Black-capped Chickadees sightings, though their characteristic call was on full display.
Since the bird observed most frequently was the Chickadee I was able to gain a better understanding of its’ patterns of flight than the two other species I saw. The Chickadee largely “flitted” around, flying rapidly from branch to branch. The individuals would flap frequently, rarely, if ever, gliding and would keep their wings extended out far from their body in flight. This was in stark contrast to the flight of the female Hairy Woodpecker I saw. Her flight was smooth and in flight she would flap, pull her wings in close to her body, and then extend her wings again to make another flap. This pattern made her individuals flaps noticeable and her flight patterned in this cyclic way. She flew in very direct, straight lines, whereas the Chickadee, busily buzzed to-and-fro frenetically. Along with this the Chickadee clearly flapped more frequently and could be seen throughout the vertical profile of the forest, while the Woodpecker flapped less often and was only observed in the higher canopy.
The contrasting features of flight displayed by these two species can be attributed to several factors that are all related. The differing morphology of these two species in wing and body size can explain some parts of these differences. Specifically, that the longer wings and larger body of the Woodpecker make it better suited for gliding and flying in straighter lines, while the smaller wings and body of the Chickadee ensure that it can swiftly change direction but is ill-suited to glide. The contrasting morphology ties directly into the habitat niches of these two species. The Chickadees were observed largely in denser brush flying quickly from branch to branch or branch to ground, while the Woodpecker flew only high in the canopy where there were larger spaces and clearer flight paths. These different niches require different patterns of flight which further requires a specific morphology to be best suited for this habitat. In this case, the smaller, shorter wings of the Chickadee make rapid flight in tight spaces easy, whereas the larger, longer wings of the Woodpecker predispose it to be suited for gliding in the open spaces of the canopy. The characteristics of both birds’ flight highlight the somewhat cyclic relationship between pattern of flight, habitat niche, and wing morphology. Habitat niche necessitates a certain style of flight which is best suited by a specific wing shape which ensures that the species is successful in that habitat. The contrasting methods of flight between these two species effectively illustrated the complex, yet fascinating relationship between morphological adaptions and physical habitat.

It is indeed winter, it was a blistery day with clear gray skies. At around 12:30 pm I went out to our beloved centennial woods. I went all the way to the commuter lot and was going into the farthest entrance to be among the conifers. While I was on my way there, still in sight of the Doubletree, I heard the soft cawing of an American crow, it was rather far away flying through the air heading northeast.

My birds were all grouped up and while, not chatting they were chirping back and forth. There are many audio clues that were audible including danger calls and warnings to, me the potential predator. I saw a Black-capped Chickadee as well as a Northern Cardinal, they each have an advantage in different ways. The chickadee can blend into the environment and is better at surviving predators, while the cardinal's color helps it to attract mates and show dominance.

I didn't see many birds however I am not sure if centennial woods is the best bird habitat during the winter. There aren't too many places that have different age groups in the forest and very little under story. The birds I did see including the Black-capped Chickadee has a small aspect ratio and do not appear to be able to fly very far without stopping. While the Northern Cardinal had a higher aspect ration and seemed like it could fly for a while without landing.

On Sunday, while visiting family in Massachusetts, I took the chance of slightly warmer weather to do some observations. Which also turned out to offer me a bird species that is not commonly seen in Vermont this time of year, the Eastern Bluebird.

Although otherwise this was not a birding experience with the highest quantity of observations, it was high quality for the species that were observed. I was fascinated on how the species of birds that were observed, behaved with each other, and who had dominance over a feed source.
The woodpecker seemed to have a direct thought when coming in to the feeder, it would hop back and forth between the trunk of the tree and the suet feeder. Once it have had its fill it flew off. To me it looked like the downy had slotted wings, especially when coming in to the tree to land
The bluebirds flitted around quite a bit more. They went from tree to tree and down to the ground for quite a while. They seem to have classic elliptical wings, and would rarely glide when going from tree to tree. They would not spend much time settled on a branch before flitting off again.

I was expecting to see more birds than I did, I was trying not to include the feeder very much but that was definitely where the birds were congregating. This makes sense though as it is the middle of winter and may not have that many food options at this time of year. On the day of observations it was clear and comparatively warm, I was observing mid morning. If I get a chance to again go back to this general location, I would move further into the woods to see whether I see a difference between the two locations. I would expect to see more birds like chickadees back there.

Went birding in Centennial Woods. Today I spent a lot of time observing crows. This time of year in Vermont always attracts large groups of crows. Even driving to Shelburne resulted in spotting a murder of about 15 crows along the roadside. In Centennial Woods my results were about the same. There are crows everywhere and black-capped chickadees sparingly (that I could see). I was hoping to spot a downy woodpecker but my luck did not prevail. Crow flight patterns are slow, deep, methodological flaps. I don't see them gliding very frequently (as you would with a red-tailed hawk) and often they are on the ground in the first place. In comparison to chickadees, whose flight pattern is sporadic and rapid. Chickadees have very small wings and bodies which makes it easier for them to fly in small spaces and crowded wooded areas.

Date: 2/19/2020
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Red Stone Lofts, UVM
Weather: Sunny, Windy, 10 degrees F
Habitat: Small wooded area (shagbark hickories, pines, basswoods, maples). Edged the country club so there was a lot of open space.

I wasn't able to find many birds, and I believe that was due to the location. I was at a small wooded area next to the country club. Since the country club has no trees on its golf course, the wind was able to pick up and rush right into the trees. Due to the large amount of wind I believe it wasn't suitable for many birds to be present because it would be too cold. I believe those woods would have been much more abundant with birds with the day wasn't so windy.

The two most prominent bird species that I saw today was the black-capped chickadee (spotted/heard 4) and the European starling (spotted five), so I will be comparing these two species during this journal.

Flight pattern (black-capped chickadee): the flight pattern for the black-capped chickadee was hard to identify mainly because it kept hopping from tree to tree. I wasn't able to see the black-capped chickadee fly for a distance. When it was hopping from tree to tree I able to see that it flapped its wings more frequently than other birds. The black-capped chickadee also seemed very agile during its time in the air. The bird would start going one way and then change direction very quickly.

Flight Pattern (European starling): I did not get a chance to see the European starlings up close, but they did fly overhead. When I saw them they were gliding between short burst of flapping. They were going in a relatively straight path, South to North. They were flying with the wind, which leads me to believe that they were not flapping their wings as much as they usually do; they let the wind aid them.

I was not able to get a good view at the birds wing shape because the European starlings were too far away, and the black-capped chickadee was too close and moving to fast. The one thing I can say about the European starling wing shape was that the feathers were in a very neat curve.

Identifying European starling: I would use its flight pattern AND the wing design because the flap, glide, flap pattern is a good indication of European starlings. The European starlings also have a very distinct body silhouette that helps to identify them.

Identifying black-capped chickadee: based on what I saw today, I would use site and sound. I was not able to find a good descriptor for their flight pattern because they move from tree to tree very quickly.

Hi everyone and welcome to the project! This project is to get an idea of the biodiversity in our canyons
PLEASE ID INVASIVE SPECIES!!! We hope to use this information in the future for habitat restoration!

My name is Daniel and I have been wilderness ranger with the U.S Forest Service for the past 2 years. I have a deep love for the place for the place where I grew up which is here in Chula Vista. Now that I live back here in Chula Vista I am hoping to get a nice database of the plants in our beautiful canyons!

Lets get some community going and leave a comment!

An unexpected sighting! At the barn on Monday evening, a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Red-Tailed Hawk spent the night. Both soared the high ceilings of the barn and took refuge on the gates between the pens of cows or on the horizontal siding of the walls. At one point, the Red-tailed Hawk must have ventured a little too close to the Sharp-shinned Hawk and the latter let out several high calls and swerved out of the larger bird’s way. Both of their I returned the several days later and they were gone; out of the tall barn doors in which they came. Once again, the barn was loud and full of the sounds of Sparrows, Rock Pigeons, and European Starlings.

On Monday afternoon, it was sunny with little to no cloud cover, about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind from the North about 10-15 mph. I began the walk from the Old North End toward the Intervale and continued on the trails next to the Winooski. On the way down the steep hill into the floodplains, there is a birdfeeder next to a house. There were several species of birds on or near the feeder on my way there including a Downy Woodpecker and two Black-capped Chickadees.

While on the trails, I heard the calls of what I believed to be White-throated Sparrows (but didn’t see them), American Crows, and Black-capped Chickadees. On the trail, I attempted to pish for some Black-capped Chickadees and while some seemed to respond, none came too close. While observing them fluttering between trees’ branches, they would flap their wings, glide for a while, and flap again when they began to drop toward the Earth. This is a consistent habit with their elliptical wing type. Continuing the walk, I watched as an American Crow skirted the edge of a field. The bird’s high lift wings correspond with his or her regular flapping of wings.

Back up to the apartment, I returned to the bird feeder, stopped and watched as a White-Breasted Nuthatch made his or her way to the feeder, snatched a seed, brought it to a nearby snag, and munched away. Two House Sparrows also enjoyed a snack from the feeder at the same time. Nearby, a Downy Woodpecker watched on.

On Tuesday morning from 7-9 am February 18, I went on a field observation walk in Williston, Vermont at the location of a horse farm and the farm’s surrounding land. The weather was 15 degrees fahrenheit. There was overcast and mild snowfall throughout the observational walk. I began the walk and immediately heard the chirps and songs of Black-capped Chickadees. I then saw 6 of them in multiple trees in close proximity to each other. I took a moment to sketch the details of a Black-capped Chickadee in my notebook (attached in the observations). Then, continuing on my walk I spotted a Northern Cardinal perched at the top of a tree. On the property, there is a bird feeder. I took a moment to observe birds eating at the feeder. I saw a total of 5 House Sparrows eating at the feeder and flying around the feeder. Further along in my walk I spotted a group of 7 American Crows sitting in a tree. I took a moment to watch them. They were calling and after a few minutes flew off. I took this time to observe the flight of the crows.

I compared the American Crow flight pattern to that of the House Sparrow. House Sparrows are much smaller in size than American Crows. House Sparrows flights involve a lot of short and fast movements from branch to branch in trees, and in my observation they flew quickly on and off the bird feeder onto nearby trees. Often, it is easy to identify song birds based on their flight patterns as these types of birds tend to flap their wings more often. American Crows are fairly large birds with larger wing spans. The American Crows I observed were flying a much larger distance than the smaller hop-like flight of the House Sparrows. The primary feathers on the tips of the American Crow wings are also much more separated than those of the House Sparrow. This slotted wing type allows for more lift from flapping. The American Crows tend to flap their wings at a much slower rate than House Sparrows, and glide more. This is probably because American Crows tend to fly much further distances on a daily basis than House Sparrows, as they look for food over long distances rather than staying closer to one area like House Sparrows. House Sparrows habitats are often linked to human habitation. At the location in Williston, many House Sparrows live inside of the horse barn. Crows, on the other hand scavenge the open fields and forested areas on the property for food.

Overall, I did not see that many birds on my observational walk. This is likely due to the overcast weather and snowfall. In the future, I would like to try to return to this location on a clearer day. Also, I would like to venture deeper into the forested area towards a small pond. Observing near a body of water could lead to the discovery of more bird species, perhaps even water-dwelling birds, like Mallards or Canadian Geese.

Today I drove south to Braintree Mountain Forest in Braintree, VT. Braintree Mountain Forest, a 1,547-acre plot of land, was donated in 2013 to the New England Forest Foundation and is now maintained as a glade. It is a beautiful sunny/ partly cloudy day today. There is no breeze here in the trees and the car thermometer read 30F. Due to the worry of getting cold, I decided to make this birding expedition mobile. A silent walk in the woods to see what I observe.

At 1:30 pm I began my walk. Shortly after entering the forest, at 1:36 pm, I spotted a Hairy Woodpecker. It was hopping and tapping on a rotten birch tree. As this area was still very close to the trailhead, I would count this as the woodpecker inhabiting edge habitat. I continued to move west along the trail. At 1:44 pm I heard a Blue Jay. I was not able to spot the jay but I was sure due to its distinctive call. The entire plot of land that I walked through was a young beech/birch forest. It seemed as if not too long ago most of the forested area could have been open. Every ten minutes or so I would stop and listen more intently for birdcalls, and sometimes I would make a “pushhch” sound to see if I could get any birds to respond. 1:50 pm I had three Black-capped Chickadee respond. They were together in a lone coniferous tree. I continued into the woods, crossing over a frozen creek but did not see or hear anything. At 2:30 pm the sun dropped below the east-facing slope. This made the temperature drop a bit, and I thought that I would have a more difficult time seeing birds, assuming that the colder temperatures would equate to less bird movement. Before starting to gain more elevation, I spotted three chickadees. I continued west and began to gain elevation as I made my way up the east-facing slope to Skidoo peak (2901ft). As I gained elevation, there were a couple more conifers but not enough to have a complete change in forest composition. As I made my way up there was an increase in the amount of snow on the trees. At 3:00 pm I noted two more chickadees. They were in a coniferous tree. It seemed as if they could potentially prefer the coniferous over the deciduous trees, maybe they are warmer, their needles providing more warmth. As I reached the top around 3:30 pm I heard two more chickadees and a Blue Jay. I think that the chilly temperatures and that the sun had gone behind the hill meant that I observed fewer birds. Another factor could be the time of day. If I had gone walking during sunrise or sunset there could have been more activity.

The Hairy Woodpecker seems to prefer dead trees, hopping from one another and only flitting occasionally. The Black-capped chickadee flew from tree to tree more often and seemed to prefer the coniferous trees. The Black-capped Chickadee has pointer wings than the Hairy Woodpecker. Overall it was pretty challenging to tell what the flight pattern was for these birds because they move so quickly and don’t fly for long before landing on a tree again.

The Bureau of Land Management’s supplemental environmental impact statements ― covering millions of acres of public land in Colorado, northeastern California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming ― will still allow enormous new loopholes for fossil fuel development that conservation groups say will doom the bird to extinction.

https://yubanet.com/enviro/trump-administration-announces-new-plans-to-slash-sage-grouse-protections-in-seven-western-states/